Greenford memories
Here are memories of Greenford and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Greenford or a Greenford photo.
Dreams of Heaven
My memories are of the ending of the war, the German one in the Second World War. My family and I went to a VE party down the Greenford Road in Kings Avenue, I was about 7 years old at the time and while I was dancing with my elder sister, my elastic broke in my knickers and I was trying to hold them up and trying to tell my sister what had happened and she took not the slightest bit of notice of me and carried on dancing. The music was provided by a man an a piano dragged from someone's front room, and, apart from the worry of my knickers, that evening was one of the best memories of my life, my family was together and all was right with the world. Eileen
My Memories of Greenfordin The 1950s And 1960s
We actually lived in Northolt Grange but our cousins, the Barltetts, lived in Stanhope Road, Greenford (does anyone remember them?). I worked from the age of 8 or 9 for Ron and Stella Valente who owned Toni Milk Bar (very near the police station end). What at fantastic couple they were, they named me 'Corporal', I was like their son (they had not children) and I was there till I left school at Vincent Secondary in Northolt. I used to actually make the ice cream when I was 11 and serve it at the window, as well as serving coffee and sandwiches inside. Ron had, I think, 6 or 7 vans, and he had a white Zephyr car, reg. no 230 XMD, how strange I can remember that! Can anyone remember the coffee bar? There was another one on the Greenford Road called 'Creamery Fare'.
We used to stay with my cousins, me and my brother Andy, their names wer David, Steven, Carole and Brenda, does anyone remember them? We... Read more
Dear Greenford And Friends.
I remember Girl Guides with my friend Wendy Hobson at the Holy Cross Churches and Evensong at 6:30PM on Sundays. Yes Wendy, I remember after the 9AM mass we would go over to Bethem hall after service to set up for Parish Breakfast. Also, my mother would take us up to Greenford Broadway to buy some sweets, and she would buy some lovely smelling bread. I, and my two sister, Joan and Ann would walk back with eager anticipatin. I have may memories of my home town and I am still in contact with my God mother's sone Philip Green who still lives in a flat with a beautiful view of the Holy Cross Churches even now. When we came back from schol holidays, my sisters and I would go accross the road to visit with my dearest God mother.
We had pantomines in our 1st Greenford girl guides and Wendy and I were in Alladin and My Joan sister played Alladin, Wendy was the... Read more
Greenford And Northolt
I remember Greenford so well. I was born in Ealing in 1943, and moved to a prefab at Invicta Grove in Northolt in about 1950. Greenford was just a bus journey away from home, and a walk on a sunny day. I remember the Expresso coffee shop just round the corner from Woolworth's. I used to go in there every month to get my 'top of the pops' album. I also worked at Greenford Glassworks, as a windscreen fitter on the Greenford Road. I remember the market where the buses turned round. I used to change buses there on my way to see my grandparents in Hanwell. Every weekend we would go to either of the two cinemas there. One we called 'the flea pit', on the other side of the road was the bank. The other one was where the supermarket is now. I also used to go to the live show watching all the pop stars of that time, Gene Vincent, Marty Wild, The Tornados...you don't see shows like that any more. There... Read more
Cuckoo Estate
Has anyone got any photos of the prefabs on Cuckoo Estate? I would love to see them. I lived on the estate as a small child and my memories are vague, it would be nice to refresh them. Also just outside of the estate I seem to remember an avenue with trees either side, at the end of the avenue was an old building with what i can only presume had old dungeons or cells. My brothers and I used to play in this building, can anyone shed some light on what this building was?
Lisa
Lisa, papers at Ealing local history library, Ealing Broadway...yes, all mermories...music shop, Oldfield, there to 180 at least litten pub went...all little greengrocer,stands,,,by stanhope..sainsbury was there for new one open day 1975...pipe shop on corner opposite closed market,,,,,postoffice fishchip shop..shoe repair corner by buses at brent bridge,,flooded 1980ish police in row boats..no cars get through costons flooded again.....old corner parafin ironmongers old there to 1980ish..opposite police station..hills ravenor.carnival fete....................library.............shoe shops bakers sweets.....butchers along front..cafe bus men used.......................woolies.............greenford hall.church...up rd church bombed 2nd war and mornington rd lunchtime weekday no airraid warning bombed.....stanhope old primary school top mansell rd.........keats around kings rd cherry double blousy dark pink thick heavy blossom....
Things I Remember
Greenford market, that's where the buses terminated. If you were quick you could jump off the back of a bus at the corner when it turned into Windmill Lane, that way if the bus was going further than the market it saved you walking back - always good if you lived at Stanhope Road. There was a fruit stall opposite the market as well as the big one on the Greenford Road. Does anyone remember the little fruit stall next to the sweet shop by Stanhope School? I had many a jubbly from that sweet shop. You could get milk in pyramid-shaped cartons from there too. They had a machine outside on the wall that sold bread, I only remember that because many a time going past it I found change that people had left in it (right next to a sweet shop, go figure!). We got Mickie Milkshakes from a machine on the Greenford Road. How about Boxalls, I think it was called that, thats' where we went for... Read more
Millet Road
My grandparents moved to no 7 Millet Road - the Allinsons - lovely bungalow, lots of memories. My parents, me and my children all spent a lot of time there, my brother bought it in the end till they moved out.
Greenford 1969
My grandparents from both sides all lived in Ravenor Park Road from the 1940s onwards, Ernest and Phyllis Warren, my mum's parents lived about 5 doors away from Aubrey and Muriel Thurston, my dad's parent's, and that's how my parents met. Ernest had a haulage company which was situated in Greenway Gardens. I remember playing in Ravenor Park and roller skating down the hill, and the rag and bone man doing his rounds and calling "rag n bones"... I remember Sainsburys, my auntie worked there for a while... I would love to hear from anyone who knew my grandparents, they lived there for many years, my grandmother is the only living grandparent and is in her 89th year....also the surnames Butler and Taylor are of interest to me... Plus does anyone have any information on Perivale Hospital? My brother was the first baby to be born there on Christmas Day 1970, it was written about in the local paper, I would love to know if anyone has any ideas of where I can... Read more
Memories of Greenford 1954-1964ish
I was born in Perivale and lived with my parents and grandparents in Greenford Road (no.283), just 2 doors along from Croyde Avenue. My Nan and Grandad owned the sweet shop in Greenford Market, where the buses used to start and finish from (Windmill Lane). My Dad was a bus driver at Southall Bus Garage and his buses would terminate there. I often used to work in the sweet shop with them on a Saturday. Their names were George and Rosy Thorne. Their shop was directly next to the fresh fish stall and the green grocers. There was a fabric stall (Mr and Mrs Gillan), also a haberdashery stall towards the back of the market. I remember there being a Police Box on the corner (like Dr Who's Tardis) - is that right? I recall the 'The Stall' (greengrocers) on the opposite corner to the Red Lion pub, which was always busy, I believe that may still be there, but not in the form I remember! My first... Read more
Growing up in Greenford 1957 - 1970s
Wow! Thanks for those memories. A million miles away in rural East Anglia, remembering growing up in Greenford. Stanhope Infants and Juniors, Mr Bishop, Mrs Avery, anybody went there remember them? Sainsburys with, indeed, that decorated floor. And that certain smell of cheese, coffee and other delicious stuff. Yes, the covered market in Windmill Street - I used to go there every week for a bag of those chocolate buttons covered in hundreds and thousands....oh my god the floodgates have opened - the brilliant Bunny Park, taking old lettuce to feed the bunnies in that funny cage, that really wasn't a cage cos they could surely all dig out underneath! the smelly old river and the tree that used to hang over the river that we would swing on, We used to roll down the hill towards that funny old bridge below the church. Anybody remember the new Hall that was built? My mum joined the operatic society so me and... Read more
Greenford 1954-1974
I lived in Locarno Road from 1954-1974. I remember clearly going to Saturday morning pictures at the Granada (later known as Tescos) and getting an ice cream from Creamery Fare afterwards. We used to go to Greenford community centre on a Friday evening to the disco. Ravenor Park was a favourite meeting place for friends. Toni's coffee bar seemed such a grown up place to go. I think I only ever had milkshakes. I used to hate the smell of the fish stall in the market. My mum used to buy my dad kippers and smoked haddock. Woolworths! The loose biscuits and anything else you needed. I remember Sainsbury's with long counters each side and a very decorative floor, swimming at Northolt pool, and getting the 92 bus to Greenford station and then the tube to Northolt. Fun days. My dad never approved of us hanging around the Wimpy bar (I wonder why.
Morris Dancing Outside The Pubs in 1979
I was introduced to Morris Dancing in 1979 and remember my very first outing to play my piano accordian with the dancers of Whitethorn Morris was in December 1979 outside two pubs.
I was a beginner and needed to read the "dots" of my tunes with a music stand in front of me - something I would not dream of doing now! The pubs were the Ballot Box on Horsenden Hill and The Black Horse towards Sudbury. I probably had a beer or two for "Dutch Courage" which more likely did little to improve my performance!! Thirty years on I would like to think I have improved.
If any local residents remember this performance then I apologize!! However I do recall enjoying myself!
Growing up in Greenford in The 1960s And 1970s
Here are some random memories:
Lists Bakeries on Greenford Broadway. Lovely aroma, tasty bread. The paper bags all used to have the slogan 'Good Flavour Always Finds Favour'.
The covered market near the junction with Windmill Lane where I was often sent by my parents to get smoked fish.
The Greenford Fish Buffet catching fire (this was at the corner of Greenford Road and Costons Lane, near the Salvation Army I think).
Various fires, leaks and chemical spillages at the Lyons factory which was diagonally behind our house. Dad had a VHF radio and we used to tune in to the emergency services and listen in to the action.
The new bridge being built near the Black Horse on Oldfield Lane that replaced the old hump bridge over the canal.
Flooding! The junction of Currey Road and Oldfield Lane North is downhill whichever way you approach it. So it was prone to flood after heavy rain until they sorted out the sewers some... Read more
Lesley Solwell Greenford
1952 to 1972. bunny park. Portland Crescent. See also southallknowhere site, good.
Greenford - Home 1956-1971
I loved growing up in Greenford. Iwas born in Chiswick, Middlesex. I lived around Mansell Road, Fermoy Road etc, and spent most of the time in the Rec, Horseden Hill, Perival Park and Church Fields (bunny park). I remember cutting through the allotment in Portland Crescent to get to Windmill Lane to pick me mates up and go onto the bunny park. I also remember wading in the River Brent for tiddlers and using a lighted fag to get the leeches off our legs. And playing footie after school and annoying the neighbours, and scrumping for apples, and riding a go cart, with the string breaking while going down a steep hill with a sharp bend at the bottom - OUCH! And the school holidays, which seemed to go on for ever.
Lesley Solway
Memories of Middlesex
War Time in Perivale
I was born July 1932 and moved to Perivale new housing estate developed by Percy Bilton in 1935, the name Bilton Road after him. The housing side was built by Taylor Woodrow and to my knowledge the same for Medway Parade. Ref to Alan Grose letter. I well remember the landmine, we use to play on the bomb site after school. I remember Reggie Eels from Selborne School who lived in the first block of houses in Hodder Drive the Woodhouse Avenue end where I thought the bomb had landed. The photos were in the Ealing Paper which my mother had cut out. Would it be possible for Alan Grose to email me the photos please? At nine years, I remember those long nights of bombing. The target was The Hoover Building on the Western Avenue, Perivale, making munitions, and the Peerless furniture manufacturers, making Horsa Gliders. On the golf course opposite was an ACK-ACK gunsite and search light battery. The Hoover building was in camouflage and when the guns went off... Read more
St Nicholas Church, Perivale,Middlesex
On my way to school one morning in possibly 1944 there was the body of a woman in the river Brent where we crossed by the footbridge at the church. She was lying face down, motionless and her hat and handbag were on the bank. There was a policeman on watch and he told me to "Go on son you don't need to see that". I often wondered why she had apparently taken her own life. In 1944 the world was full of problems for so many people.
Bilton Road
I grew up in Perivale my dads bakers shop was on Bilton Road, Geo Ort.
Does anyone remember?
Perivale Maternity Hospital
I was born Penelope Anne Ashton one hour and three quarters after my twin sister. It was March 1944 and we were born in Perivale Maternity Hospital. We were taken from the hospital to our family home in Uxbridge Road, Ealing. Our house was bombed out just months later and we were evacuated out.
I've never seen even a photo of Perivale Maternity Hospital, nor do I know the road it was in. I was told it too was bombed during the war. And that it was no longer there. I wonder if any one else has a photo and can tell me more about it.
I have grown up in Australia but have visited back home several times Would love to know where to look for the hospital next time I come.
Hospital Records
Hi, my name is Julie and I am researching my past. I was born in Perivale Hospital in 1962. I am told that the hospital no longer exists. Can anyone tell me where the hospital records may have been moved to? Information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Julie
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